This is a very special property. It is off the charts for charm and location. That said, I can think of a few travel mates of mine whom I would not choose this property for. I’ll give as much detail as possible.
First, the neighborhood is busy, gritty, fascinating China Town. It is loud and dirty and real and quaint. It’s our favorite pub crawl neighborhood which includes the bar on the first floor of this property. If you’re not interested in seeing the new, shiny modern Bangkok, this is for you. It’s close to trains and ferries, so the big tourist attractions are within reach of public transport.
The first floor is a great tapas bar. It’s not open much (wasn’t open during our 3 night stay), and doesn’t seem like the kind of place that gets super loud, but I can’t speak for the noise level for when it’s open. Next door and part of the property is the most adorable coffee shop (again, off the charts for charm) which has breakfast. It was a little strange ordering my favorite Spanish breakfast in Thai! Across the street is the most charming, old school cafe boran shop. Just a bit of old Bangkok that is quickly disappearing.
Up a very steep flight of stairs (think any house in Amsterdam) is the living area of the property. A comfy couch, plus another seating area, a desk (which my friend actually used to finish her last project for grad school) and a large fan. No AC, but we really didn’t notice.
On that same floor is a small fridge and a kettle for tea, tea cups and spoons. That pretty much sums up the “kitchen”, the apartment does not list a kitchen. That said, there is a restaurant downstairs so if you need a microwave or a plate or a bottle opener (as in our case), I’m sure they can accommodate that. The bathroom is small but functional with a shower that has a very efficient water heater (hadn’t seen one like that since my apartment in Tokyo in the ‘80’s). This one was new and worked well. The bathroom is small but has some nice storage space.
Up another steep flight of stairs are the two bedrooms. One has a double bed that pretty much fills up the room, and a fan. There are no outside windows in this room.
The other bedroom has two twin beds, is much roomier, has a fan and the only AC. There is an opening on the connecting wall of the two rooms so the AC blows into both rooms and can cool the entire top floor, both bedrooms. We didn’t need the fan in that room at night, it was cool enough. The patio is off that room. The beds are not the most comfortable.
The traffic noise really doesn’t stop. It does kind of turn into white noise, so, surprisingly, we all slept well.
The friends I brought here loved it. It is an authentic Bangkok experience that I think is quite rare. It was their first time here, but my 18 yo daughter, who has stayed with me in many different kinds of places here, also loved it for the charm and the neighborhood.
The people I would not bring here are guests who have trouble with carrying bags up stairs, who need constant cold AC and a luxurious bed, and who need a quiet room to sleep.
I would bring friends who want to explore one of the most interesting neighborhoods of Bangkok. Who love quaint small bars, great food and getting local. Ones who don’t need to step from a shiny hotel into a taxi, but can travel by tuk tuk, train and ferry.